From My Very Spirit, I Thank You

Thank you for deciding that neither slavery nor sexism have a place in this life.

Thank you the courage to walk, not run, into your freedom. You said, “I did not run off, for I thought that wicked, but I walked off, believing that to be all right.”

Thank you for acting on your courage to stand up to the court, even in a time when women’s voices were not recognized, to get your son back.

Thank you for deciding that Sojourner Truth would be your name because it better defined you and your purpose in life.

Thank you for having the fortitude to ask, Ain’t I a Woman? in 1851 at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. You were the epitome of a woman. I know there are several renditions of exactly what you said in that speech, but the bottom line is that you asked if you were not a woman, the same as a white woman.

Thank you for giving me the courage to stand my ground and to relish in the fact that I am a woman.

Thank you for being the backbone of a gender and the voice of a people.